We’ve all felt that moment in life when things just go right for once.

You get to tell some one “I told you so.” Or, even better, your rightness is so wonderfully apparent that you need not even say it. You can just tilt your head and smile a little.

It’s like the clouds have parted and heaven is shining down on you … and only you.

Your pride wells up. You can’t help but smile. You sleep wonderfully. All is well with the world.

And you just want to climb to the highest point in town and scream to all your naysayers at the top of your lungs, “nanny-nanny-boo-boo!”

Natchez public schools superintendent Anthony Morris hasn’t had an easy job by any means.

He was hired as superintendent in 2003, and he immediately took over a school district on the verge of a $1.417 million annual tax reduction due to the closure of International Paper.

Not to mention the fact that the district was still under a judge-governed court order and academic progress was shaky.

But for Morris, the position was like coming home, he said at the time. He was principal of Natchez High from 1994 to 1997.

In the five-and-a-half school years since Morris accepted the job, the rocks have kept flying.

Like any elected or appointed leader, he’s been the focus of an onslaught of criticism, complaints and negativity.

Things came to a head last spring when the self-titled Committee for Better Public Schools asked, during a board of aldermen meeting, that Morris resign.

But, despite screams from locals that Morris is a horrible superintendent, the Mississippi Association of School Administrators came to town last week to formally name Morris 2009 Mississippi Superintendent of the Year.

The title, as MASA Director Anna Hurt verified, is the granddaddy of all Mississippi school administrator awards.

“This IS the superintendent of the year,” she said. “It has been recognized for 22 years.

“It’s a recognition of an educator who is truly caring and puts students first. It denotes a leadership style that is noticed by others.”

The superintendent of the year is chosen as the result of an extensive process.

First, a nomination comes in. School board members, MASA members or basically anyone else, can nominate a superintendent.

The nominator fills out an application and sends it to the American Association of School Superintendents in Arlington, Va.

Each application is reviewed and checked for the appropriate criteria.

The applications are sent back to the state association.

In Mississippi, previous superintendents of the year are sent complete packets of those meeting the requirements. They rate each applicant with a scoring sheet.

The superintendent can be called on to answer questions about his job or his district.

Then, the winner is chosen.

Morris will represent Mississippi in national competition now. The national winner will be chosen in late January or early February.

He’ll also be invited to speak at numerous educational activities to “share the secrets of his success,” Hurt said.

But Morris won’t be standing on the Eola Hotel’s balcony screaming “nanny-nanny-boo-boo.”

It’s up to the rest of us to do that for him.

After all, he’s our superintendent, our leader, and for that, we should be proud.

Julie Cooper is the managing editor of The Natchez Democrat. She can be reached at 601-445-3551 or julie.cooper@natchezdemocrat.com.